Mompou was born and raised in Barcelona. In 1911, he studied piano, harmony, and composition in Paris, and then returned to Barcelona. Although World War I began in 1914, Mompou was exempted from military service and spent six years in Spain. During this period, from 1916 to 1917, he composed Suburbios (also known as Scènes d'enfants). Comprising five movements, each depicts the atmosphere of the Barcelona suburbs, and the work is dedicated to his French mother. The standard performance time is approximately 14 minutes. There is also an orchestral arrangement by Manuel Rosenthal.

1. The Street, the Guitarist, and the Old Horse (El carrer, el guitarrista i el vell cavall)

No key signature or bar lines are indicated. It begins in 4/4 time. The opening, with a melody superimposed over repeating sixteenth notes in open intervals, is filled with bright light. This is followed by 3/8 time, where a guitarist in the Barcelona suburbs gently plays a familiar dance tune. As the music approaches its end, it gradually quiets, and an old horse is depicted with ornaments. The piece concludes, fading away at pp.

2. The Gypsy Woman I (La Gitana I)

In 3/4 time. According to Mompou, the gypsy woman depicted here is a slender and delicate Spanish woman. Within the dark and somber sound of fifth chords, the singing melody also carries a sense of loneliness and solitude (très plaintif). In contrast, the intensely played passages, while emotional, fluctuate delicately.

3. The Gypsy Woman II (La Gitana II)

In 6/8 time. "With a restless rhythm." Although there are no bar lines and the slurs are short, one should aim for a performance with drive and dynamism, sensing the larger melodic phrases. The vocal inflections seen in the middle section seem to reveal the allure of the gypsy woman.

4. The Blind Girl (La nena cega)

In G-flat major, 2/4 time. Péniblement (painfully/with difficulty). Listening to the melody played continuously in unison, one can sense the vulnerability of a girl walking in darkness. Play with heightened sensitivity so that the notes from both hands perfectly align. Where the key signature disappears, a melody played with chords imbued with a faint, warm light resonates beautifully.

5. The Man with the Ariston (L'home de l'Ariston)

This movement depicts a street musician, whom Mompou called a "Garibaldian," playing a hand-cranked organ. From the beginning, intervals with an empty sound are striking. The subsequent melody is rhythmic. With changes in tempo and sudden interruptions that create a sense of anticlimax, it is a piece full of humor.